Eight ways Charlie and Ian got together
by JolinarJackson
Summary: Chapter 9 now up: It never happened. It was as easy as that.
1. Chapter 1

**The quiet ones**

_Series:_ Six ways Charlie and Ian got together … and one they didn't (1/7)

_Word Count: _921

_Snippet: _Ian wondered if he could stop the professor's brain from running a mile a minute.

_Characters: _Ian Edgerton, Charlie Eppes

_Pairing: _Charlie/Ian Edgerton

_Rating:_ M_  
Setting:_ after _Sniper Zero  
Warnings: _Slash, language_  
Author's Note: _Written for the _May Rewatch Challenge _on sniper_voodoo. The prompt was _Sniper Zero_.

_Feedback:_ Can't breathe without it.

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Numb3rs_ and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

There were coincidences, destiny and just plain luck. Ian Edgerton believed in all of them. And he didn't try to kill them with logic. He just accepted that they were there to give him a break once in a while and to remind him of the good slices of life when the job got to him.

Jut now, he was experiencing such a reminder. He breathed in calmly and pressed closer to the smaller body in front of him. Black locks were tickling his cheek and he detected a shampoo's faint fruity aroma. Part of him was wondering what kind of fruit he was smelling, another part of him was busy to imprint every second of this evening into his mind and the last and smallest part was focusing on teaching. "Stay calm," he said softly and helped the other man's trembling hands to hold the weapon. Charlie Eppes was coincidence, destiny and luck all wrapped up in one package. And Ian was determined to make this moment one of those he wanted to remember. His hands enclosed Charlie's to help him press the gun against his shoulder.

"It's harder," Ian said softly and used his foot to push Charlie's legs apart, "to shoot while standing up without something to rest the weapon upon. You can't twitch the barrel. The weapon's heavy but you have to hit the target nonetheless."

Charlie leant back, just so, and his back touched Ian's chest.

"That's it," Ian said softly.

His breath ghosted over Charlie's skin and the younger man laughed nervously. "The gun's heavy," he tried to explain his trembling hands but Ian knew that more than just the weapon was causing it.

And he was flattered. He had the impression that Charlie's exceptional mind was only able to pay attention to a few things. He loved to be one of them. "You're doing great." Ian didn't want to question Charlie's motives for asking him to teach him to shoot and he didn't care why Don wasn't allowed to find out about it. But he had a suspicion. Don didn't like his baby brother's academic innocence colliding with the real world. But he was complaining about Charlie not having a clue about the world, too. Ian could see why the brothers' relationship was strained.

"Look at the target." One of his hands left Charlie's and instead came to rest on the professor's hip. "Focus." His grip tightened and he breathed in. It could be strawberry shampoo. "Breathe." His hand trailed from Charlie's hip to his stomach and pulled him closer. Charlie's breaths quickened. _'Better than sex,'_ Ian thought while he absorbed the body warmth, the adrenalin, and he smiled. They were standing in the last cubicle of the rifle range. It was late. Nobody would interrupt them here. His other hand positioned Charlie's ear protector before he put on his own. Then his free hand mirrored the one on Charlie's stomach. He felt Charlie taking a deep breath and letting go of it, just like Don had taught him. The shot hit its mark and Charlie smiled happily before he relaxed his stance. Ian pulled off his ear protector and did the same with Charlie's. He put the pair on the counter. "Very good, professor."

"Thanks," Charlie answered and turned his head to grin at him. Ian couldn't help himself. He grabbed the weapon to take it from Charlie and while he was putting it down next to the ear protectors, he cupped Charlie's back of the neck and pulled him into a kiss. Charlie uttered a surprised sound but he returned the kiss hesitantly.

When Ian broke the lip lock and looked down at him, the professor was staring at him in astonishment. "What was that?" he asked.

"If you don't know, I've lost my charm," Ian smiled.

His confidence was boosted by Charlie not leaving or hitting him. Charlie shook his head. "I know _what_ it was but ..." Ian's lips on his interrupted him. The agent pushed Charlie against the cubicle's wall and pressed their bodies together. His tongue found its way between Charlie's lips, deepening the kiss. Charlie moaned. Ian pulled him closer, then he pressed him against the wall and buried a hand in his hair. Ian left Charlie's lips and dropped a kiss on his cheek before he looked at him questioningly.

"... why?" Charlie finished his question, obviously not to be distracted even though he seemed a bit out of breath.

Ian wondered if he could stop the professor's brain from running a mile a minute. His hand touched Charlie's lap and the younger man's hands scrabbled for his shoulders. He whimpered softly and pulled him closer. Ian answered, "I wanted to fuck you from the very first moment I saw you. I don't know why but smart people ..." He pushed one leg between Charlie's. "... are hot. And I think …" A kiss to Charlie's cheek. "... it's always ..." He rested one hand on Charlie's neck and tipped his chin up with a thumb to make the professor look at him. "... the quiet ones." He brushed his fingers over a flushed cheek.

Charlie seemed to get over his surprise because he started to smile. "You wanna know just how loud I can be?"

Ian laughed. "I knew it. You're just looking like innocence personified."

Charlie grinned. "It's always the quiet ones."

END

05/10


	2. Chapter 2

**Predator**

_Series: _Seven ways Charlie and Ian got together … and one they didn't

_Companion Piece: _The quiet ones (no need to know it to understand this story)

_Word Count: _1.425

_Summary: _For a moment, Charlie thought that he'd seen something in Ian's smile, something predatory ...

_Characters: _Charlie Eppes, Ian Edgerton, Don Eppes

_Pairing__: _Charlie/Ian Edgerton

_Rating:_ NC-17_  
Setting:_ during _Toxic  
__Warnings: _Uh … sex_  
Author's Note: _Written for the sniper_voodoo Rewatch Challenge _June – Toxic_. And I did a headcount and realized that I was wrong concerning how often Ian made an appearance in _Numb3rs_ so I changed the title a bit. Mea culpa, now there's seven ways for them to get together.

_Feedback:_ Can't breathe without it.

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Numb3rs_ and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

Long after Don and Ian had retired to their motel rooms, Charlie was sill puzzling over the maps of Sibley, checking his numbers. He knew he was being obsessive but he didn't want to miss an important detail and place Don or anyone else in danger. He rubbed his tired eyes, deciding to go to bed, and rolled up the map before he gathered his notes.

It was cold and almost dark in the motel's parking lot. The only sources of light were the moon and a few street lamps as well as the windows of some motel rooms.

Charlie was headed for his and Don's room, determined to get a few hours of sleep and look at the problem with fresh eyes tomorrow morning before breakfast. He stopped when he saw Ian standing at his car, pulling a bag out of his trunk.

"Professor," the sniper acknowledged him without even raising his head and Charlie wondered anew if the agent was always that watchful or if he was able to just relax sometimes, too.

"Agent Edgerton," he answered. He wasn't sure if Ian wanted to make small talk now or if he should just continue towards his room. Even though thir relationship was purely professional, they had started to trust each other during their first case together. Ian had accepted that Charlie was able to help just as much with his numbers as Ian did with his instincts. And Charlie had accepted that Ian's expertise could could reduce his workload. He'd even been looking forward to seeing him again.

Ian closed the trunk. "You're up late."

'_Small talk it is,'_ Charlie thought and smiled. "I was just refining my search pattern."

Ian nodded. "That's good," he said. He slung the rucksack over one shoulder and headed for his room which was located directly beside Charlie and Don's. Charlie followed him.

"Tired?" Edgerton asked.

"A bit," Charlie answered.

"Too tired to help me out?"

Charlie raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That depends," he said.

Edgerton smiled. "It's nothing big."

Charlie shrugged and passed by his and Don's door to accompany Ian to his room. Ian opened the door and stepped aside to let Charlie in. For a moment, Charlie thought that he'd seen something in Ian's smile, something predatory, but he shook it off. He was being silly. What the hell should Ian hunt in his own motel room?

"And that's where the Steiner tree problem comes in. It can even help us with network design," Charlie finished his impromptou class fifteen minutes later. Ian was sitting in one of the chairs in his motel room. His legs were stretched out, his head propped up on a hand and with the other hand, he was holding a glass of scotch. Charlie was occupying the chair opposite him, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands waving widly while he was talking. His glass was standing on the desk, long since forgotten.

Ian sipped, staring at Charlie. "That's fascinating," he said.

Charlie frowned. "You aren't really interested in the application of the Steiner tree problem, are you?"

Ian smiled. "I just love to hear you talk about math," he answered.

Charlie felt a warm tingle in his stomach and smiled nervously. He knew that feeling. The last time he'd felt it had been whenever Steven Jennings – his tutor in Princeton – had smiled at him.

It was the feeling Alan expected him to have when Amita was with him. "I …" He swallowed. "I should leave."

Ian wasn't an option. Ian was the last person on Earth he should think that way of. Not just because they were knee-deep in a case, but because Ian would shoot him if he'd …

"Now?" Ian sounded disappointed, but that smile was back. The predatory one.

Charlie jumped to his feet. "Oh yeah! It's late. I'm sure Don's worried sick about me."

"Don will manage."

Ian was talking softly now, intimately.

"I'm sure he's wondering where I am," Charlie said and wondered why his body didn't listen to him. Ian put away the glass and leant forwards. He took Charlie's hand and pulled him closer.

"He doesn't need to worry." His hands were now resting on Charlie's hips, pulling him closer until Charlie's knees were touching the chair. Charlie stared down into Ian's dark eyes and bit his lip nervously.

"I'm going to take good care of you," Ian grinned and with one last nudge, Charlie was kneeling on the chair, straddling Ian's lap. His hands were on the agent's shoulders. Ian rested a hand in Charlie's nape and pulled him down into a kiss. The moment their tongues touched the professor gave in. He cupped Ian's head with both his hands, kissing him back passionately. Ian laughed and pulled Charlie impossibly closer. One hand slipped under Charlie's sweater, making contact with warm skin. Charlie suddenly got up and pulled the sweater over his head. Ian – blown away by the sudden enthusiasm – followed his lead. He pulled Charlie back towards him and buried one hand in his hair, the other one under Charlie's jeans. The agent nudged Charlie backwards towards he bed where they landed in a tangle of limbs. Charlie was giggling, then moaning when Ian found his erection. Charlie teared at Ian's jeans impatiently and then tried to open the button and zipper. Ian removed his hand from Charlie's pants and kicked off his shoes and socks before pulling off his jeans. In the meantime, Charlie lost his shoes and jeans. Ian helped him with his socks, then he returned to his original position – pinning Charlie to the bed, rocking his hips.

Charlie wrapped his legs around Ian's hips and pulled him closer, his moans loud in Ian's ear. "Oh God," he whispered.

"I prefer Ian," the agent smiled and Charlie's panting breath tripped over a laugh.

Until someone knocked at the door. "Ian!"

"Oh God," Charlie whispered again – this time in horror – and Ian pressed a hand over his mouth.

"Don?" he asked just loud enough for his voice to penetrate the door. The doorknob was turned and Charlie panicked, trying to push Ian away.

"Don't!" the agent cried out and Don stopped. Ian knew that he needed to give an excuse. "I'm naked!" He let go of Charlie and the young man jumped off the bed.

He was gathering up his clothes when Don answered, "C'mon! Are you telling me you're shy?"

Charlie just so made it to the bathroom before the door opened, revealing Don. Ian looked at him from his position on the bed, his eyebrows raised. Don stared at him in surprise and Ian couldn't blame him. Here he was, lying buck-naked on his bed and he really hoped that Don wasn't going to ask why the sheets and blankets were a mess … or why Charlie's notebook and maps were lying on Ian's desk. He grabbed the blanket that was lying at the end of the bed and wrapped it around himself. Then he stood before Don and looked at him. "What's up?"

"Do you know where Charlie is?" Don asked.

"Uh ..." Ian shook his head. "No."

"Damn," Don muttered.

"He can't be far. Maybe he went for a walk."

That didn't seem to help so Ian added, "Give him another fifteen minutes. If he hasn't turned up by then, I'm going to help you look for him."

Don thought about it for a moment, then he nodded. "Okay."

"Good," Ian smiled. Don nodded at him and left. Charlie was already fully dressed when he came out of the bathroom. "I should leave," he said but he hesitated and looked at Ian.

The agent nodded. "Yeah. A shame."

Charlie gathered up his notes and made for the door. Ian grabbed his arm. "Hey! How about tomorrow? Same time, same place? Well, if we're not off looking for McHugh."

Charlie smiled happily. "Sure."

"Great," Ian grinned. He dropped a kiss on Charlie's lips and opened the door.

Charlie was almost at his room when Ian whispered loudly, "Professor."

Charlie turned around to face him and raised his eyebrows.

"And please see to it that Don's not going to interrupt us again."

Charlie laughed softly and nodded.

END

06/10


	3. Chapter 3

**Dinner and a movie**

_Word Count: _1.302

_Summary: _Now Charlie was sitting next to him in Ian's car and stared out the window, keeping a white-knuckled grip on his jeans. Ian felt like a serial killer.

_Characters:_ Ian Edgerton, Charlie Eppes, Don Eppes 

_Pairing__: _Charlie/Ian Edgerton

_Rating:_ PG_  
Spoiler: Spree  
Setting:_ during _Spree  
__Author's Note: _Written for the July Rewatch Challenge on sniper_voodoo –_ Spree. _This is part one of a two-parter.

_Feedback:_ Can't breathe without it.

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Numb3rs_ and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

XXX

XXX

Ian didn't feel entirely comfortable about how happy he was when he learned that Don Eppes' team was handling the Crystal Hoyle case. Or how happy he was about seeing Charlie again. But he decided to do something about it this time. He wouldn't let Don's protective streak get in the way. Or his own insecurities. Charlie had never given any indication if he was gay, but Ian would find out.

The math genius had gotten under his skin in such a short time and that didn't bode well for Ian's dignity whenever Charlie was around.

Like now.

Ian was sitting in one of CalSci's class rooms, watching Charlie teaching his students and he only noticed that he was smiling about the professor's hand gestures and enthusiastic voice when the two girls next to him were starting to giggle, whispering something that sounded a lot like "puppy dog eyes".

"Who could blame him?" one of them said when Charlie ended the lesson.

"Not me," the other said and with a wistful sigh added, "It's always the gorgeous once, though. Seems unfair. He's hot."

With that, they left.

Ian waited until the class had filtered out, then he sat there for ten more minutes while Charlie was getting distracted by his notes. When the professor finally noticed him, Ian grinned. "Intriguing lesson," he said.

Charlie smiled. "That's a joke right? I thought you weren't into voodoo."

Ian got up and joined Charlie on his way out. Calling his math voodoo had been a bad move, Ian realized. A bit too late.

"It has its perks," he said, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. He followed Charlie to his cluttered office.

"If you're here for the pursuit curve, I'm afraid I'm not done with it, yet."

"I'm not here for the pursuit curve," Ian said.

"Oh?" Charlie looked at him curiously. "Why are you here?" He sat his bag down on his desk.

_'Here goes nothing …' _"Thing is," Ian said, "I ..."

Charlie looked at him.

Ian smiled helplessly. "Okay, I haven't done this in a while." So much for preserving his dignity.

"Okay," Charlie said.

"And I don't want this to interfere with our work."

"O … kay."

"You wanna have dinner with me?"

Charlie looked surprised, then he laughed. "Dinner? That's all?"

"Yeah," Ian answered, relieved. "Yeah!"

"Okay," Charlie answered, "sure, why not?"

"Okay," Ian said, still a bit surprised.

"We could invite Don, too," Charlie said.

Ian sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"What?" Charlie asked, instinctively knowing that he'd said the wrong thing.

Ian answered, "Charlie, I wanted to have dinner."

"Yeah," Charlie answered slowly, questioningly.

"Dinner … with you."

Charlie needed about five seconds to mull Ian's words over, then he blushed and ducked his head. "Oh!"

"Yeah," Ian answered. "I think now you got it right."

"Seriously?" Charlie asked. "I mean, seriously... with me?"

"Why not with you?" Ian asked.

Charlie shrugged. "I … uh ..."

"Hey, you can say no, you know," Ian assured him. "That's okay."

"Let me just … let me just … catch up. This is the first time that a guy asked me out."

"Well, you have to know if you'd like to go out with a guy."

Charlie looked at him and Ian got the terrible feeling that he didn't.

"Charlie? You know, right?"

Charlie ducked his head.

"Oh!" Ian said. He sighed deeply. This was not what he wanted it to be. A "no" would have kept him at a distance, a "yes" would have been heaven. But this … he cleared his throat. "I guess," he said and Charlie raised his head to look at him miserably, "I guess we have to find out then."

XXX

When Ian picked Charlie up half-past seven the same evening, the professor was wearing jeans and a red-shirt claiming _You are here_. If there was a hidden joke, Ian didn't get it. Now Charlie was sitting next to him in Ian's car and stared out the window, keeping a white-knuckled grip on his jeans.

Ian felt like a serial killer.

"So," Charlie asked a bit too loud and upbeat, "where are we going?"

"Dinner and a movie," Ian answered.

Charlie nodded. "Traditional."

"I'm a traditional man," Ian answered.

Charlie looked at him with a nervous smile. "Would that mean that this evening's on you?"

"I don't know," Ian answered. "Would that be a problem for you?"

"I'm not sure."

"You like Italian?"

Charlie nodded.

"Great," Ian said. Silence descended and Ian wondered if this was one of the most awful dates in the history of humanity.

XXX

The movie had been a good idea. They'd talked about it over dinner, then they'd found related topics to chat about. Ian had to say that he'd really enjoyed himself and he thought that Charlie had, too.

When they left the restaurant and walked slowly back towards Ian's car, taking a detour through a small park, he even risked the move and put an arm around Charlie's shoulders, pulling him closer. It was still warm outside, the paths and greens illuminated by streetlamps. The park was almost abandoned. Aside from them, only a couple of teenagers making out on a bank and a young woman walking her dog were there.

Ian looked at Charlie curiously. "So, did you enjoy yourself?"

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, I did. Thank you."

"We could do it again."

Charlie threw him a shy smile. "We could."

Ian smiled, before he stopped and pulled Charlie closer. He knew that he was hesitating and maybe a bit insecure and he hated it, but he didn't want to do anything wrong. It had been so long since he'd had a date with a man who had never been with another man before – who didn't even know if he wanted to.

But Charlie was looking at him calmly, waiting for Ian to take the lead. So he did. Ian caught Charlie's lips. And Charlie was responding by opening his mouth and they _kissed_. Ian thought that Charlie had to have made up his mind, because the younger man was pulling him closer and putting his arms around Ian's neck, still kissing him. Ian responded by wrapping his arms around Charlies chest, then burying one hand in the dark locks, keeping Charlie's lips sealed to his own.

And he had had to be doing something right, because when they broke for air and stared at each other, Charlie's cheeks were flushed and his eyes sparkled and he smiled. "Oh, boy!" he panted.

"You got that right," Ian said and grinned, nuzzling Charlie's cheek. "Come back to my hotel with me."

Charlie chuckled. "Putting out on our first date?"

Ian smiled. "You underestimate your effect on me." He kissed Charlie again.

The younger man hesitated, one hand holding onto Ian's arm as if to ensure that the agent didn't leave while he thought about the offer. Then he nodded. "Alright."

Ian smiled. "Sure?"

"No." Charlie swallowed. "But I want to."

"Good enough for me."

They started walking again, a bit faster … and then Ian's cell rang.

"Oh, no!" the agent sighed.

"Could be harmless," Charlie said.

"At this time of night?" Ian answered. "No, it's an emergency." He put an arm around Charlie's shoulders and answered, "Yes?"

"_Ian,"_ Don said, _"bad news. It's Crystal. She's taken Megan."_

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Dinner and a movie (2)**

_Series: _Seven ways Charlie and Ian got together … and one they didn't 4/8

_Companion Pieces: _Predator, The quiet ones(no need to know it to understand this story)

_Word Count: _2.663

_Summary: _He avoided Ian's eyes, obviously nervous. "So ..." He quirked a smile. "Date interrupted."

_Characters: _Ian Edgerton, Charlie Eppes

_Pairing: _Charlie/Ian Edgerton

_Rating: _NC-17_  
Spoiler: Spree, Two daughters  
Setting: _after_ Two daughters  
Warnings: _Uh ... lots of sex! *blushes and runs away*_  
Author's Note: _Written for the re-watch challenge on sniper_voodoo: _August – Two daughters_. Okay, this is the most porn I have written in EVER. And I'm NEVER going to write porn again in the living room because my mom sneaking up on me, asking "What'cha doing?" is really killing the mood (and me). This story is supposed to be a make-up gift for all those readers who wanted a hot and heavy sex scene and they didn't get one in the previous parts.

_Feedback:_ Can't breathe without it.

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Numb3rs_ and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

XXX

XXX

Ian packed the last of his things and checked if everything was ready for his departure the next day. The case had been solved. Crystal was dead, Megan was safe and he'd been called to help out with a case in San Francisco. He regretted that he and Charlie wouldn't have the time to work out whatever was between them. At least not for a while. Ian collapsed on his bed and stared at the ceiling. His cell made a short sound, alerting him to a text message. Ian sighed and sat up, wondering who would text him that late in the evening. He grabbed the cell from the nightstand and opened the message.

_Wanna meet?_

Ian raised his eyebrows. Even though the message seemed casual, he could only imagine how much courage it must have cost Charlie to write him. He answered:

_U sure?_

_Where?_

_The park. Where we were interrupted._

_Ok. C ya._

Ian grinned. "Perfect."

XXX

Charlie was already there when Ian arrived, sitting on a bench. "Hey," he said and smiled.

Ian answered with a smile and stopped in front of Charlie. "So," he began and Charlie got up slowly.

He avoided Ian's eyes, obviously nervous. "So ..." He quirked a smile. "Date interrupted."

"Yeah. And the timing was horrible," Ian agreed. Charlie nodded and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. Ian realized that he had no idea what to do or how to behave around Ian. It reminded him of Charlie's inexperience and he decided to take the lead. He caught Charlie's chin with his hand and leaned down to press a close-mouthed kiss to his lips before he smiled at him, giving him a chance to move away. Charlie looked at him, nervous and insecure, then he got up on the tips of his toes and kissed Ian, wrapping his arms around Ian's neck. Ian pulled him closer, opening his mouth and letting Charlie's tongue explore. Ian felt his cock taking notice and broke the kiss reluctantly. He looked down into Charlie's dark eyes. "Come back to my-"

"Yes." Charlie smiled and nodded in affirmation. "I'd love to."

XXX

"I have no idea what I'm doing," Charlie admitted when Ian pinned him to the door gently and rained kisses on his neck.

"You're smart," Ian answered with a smile. "Just go with the flow. I think you'll get the hang of this pretty fast."

"What if I don't?" Charlie asked and stared at Ian, a sudden flare of panic showing in his brown eyes. "What if I'm rubbish at this?"

"It's sex."

"Exactly. I'm rubbish at sex."

"Who told you that?"

"No one. I just … know," Charlie answered.

Ian cupped his hands around Charlie's face, looking firmly into his eyes. "Okay, you're panicking. It's good that you're doing it now. We can get it out of your system and move on." Ian pressed a kiss to Charlie's forehead, then to his lips, coaxing his mouth open and deepening the kiss. Charlie's hands grabbed Ian's shirt to pull him closer. Ian asked, "Feel good?" Charlie nodded. Ian looked into his eyes and grinned triumphantly. "This is your first time with a guy. It's okay to freak out a bit but you wouldn't look that dazed after just a kiss if you didn't want to do this. Am I right?" Ian's hand slipped under Charlie's t-shirt and the younger man gasped when the agent's fingers brushed over his nipples. "You want me to stop, I'll stop," Ian promised. "Just say the word."

Charlie looked into his eyes and nodded. "Alright."

Ian smiled and pulled Charlie's shirt over his head to drop it on the floor of his room.

Charlie's hands were shaking slightly, but he held onto the seams of his courage and helped Ian to lose his shirt. Ian's chest was broad and hairless and perfect. Charlie placed his hands just under Ian's shoulders. Ian leaned down and kissed him passionately again, pulling Charlie closer and opening his jeans. Charlie's hands brushed over Ian's ribs down to his jeans. There, he hesitated. Ian smiled at him and positioned one of his legs between Charlie's, pinning him to the door. His thigh was pressing against Charlie's crotch and the younger man gasped. Ian took Charlie's hand in his and encouraged him to open his jeans. "You can do nothing wrong," he said and Charlie smiled nervously. Ian kissed his cheek. "I don't want you to hesitate."

Charlie's fingers opened the button and pulled the zipper down. Ian kissed him again and adjusted his position to slowly shove one hand into Charlie's open jeans. He was delighted when Charlie mirrored the movement. Charlie gasped when Ian touched his cock through the fabric of his underwear and Ian gently bit his shoulder before kissing him again. Charlie closed his eyes and let Ian have every shaky breath he exhaled. His fingers found the hard cock of the agent, cupping it gently. He'd always wondered about guys, feeling attracted to them in much the same way he felt attracted to girls. He would do this even though he was a bit scared. He would let Ian do this.

When Ian started to move his hand, just teasing Charlie, he mirrored the movement and whimpered. Ian moaned and pulled his hand out of Charlie's jeans, instead sliding it into his own and helping Charlie to find the perfect way to touch him.

"Sorry," Charlie whispered.

Ian shook his head. "Don't." He smiled reassuringly. "Let me help you but don't be embarrassed about it." His hand went back into Charlie's jeans. Charlie was doing it just right now and Ian gasped. His free hand brushed through Charlie's hair, tangling in the dark locks and holding him in place to kiss him roughly. He gauged Charlie's reaction to the rather aggressive kiss and was relieved when the younger man was eager to return it. But it wasn't enough. Ian was surprised when Charlie was the first to withdraw his hand and tugged Ian's jeans down. Ian stepped back and kicked off his shoes before he pulled the jeans off himself, then his underwear and socks, watching Charlie do the same, if a bit hesitantly. Then they were standing naked in front of each other. Ian took Charlie's hand and pulled him over to the bed to make him sit down in the middle. He knelt in front of him to kiss him again, before he pushed him down on his back and went to kiss his belly. He spread Charlie's legs and settled between them, before he locked their eyes together. "Remember, just say the word."

Charlie nodded.

"And relax," Ian grinned. "No pressure." He dipped down and licked one of Charlie's nipples, making the professor yelp in surprise and then moan. One of Charlie's hands brushed through Ian's hair. Ian swirled his tongue around the hard nub and bit down gently, making Charlie jerk and gasp. One of his hands curled around Charlie's erection, slowly jerking him off.

"Oh, dear … oh god," Charlie panted. Ian grinned and kissed his way down Charlie's chest to his navel. Charlie bit his lip. "Ian, please ..." He bent his knees and pushed his heels into the bed, arching his back to get closer to Ian's hand and Ian's mouth – to Ian's body.

Ian grinned and scraped his teeth over the smooth skin of Charlie's belly, tasting sweat and arousal. "A man of few words in bed," he teased. "Who'd have thought?"

Charlie sent him a mock-glare and Ian laughed. He held Charlie's hips down with one arm and licked, nipped and kissed his way down towards Charlie's crotch. He kissed the base of Charlie's cock, buried his nose in the dark curls for a moment before licking from the base to the head. Charlie cried out softly and tried to buck his hips up but Ian was holding him down. Charlie slapped the bed in frustration with one hand and grabbed the sheets with both when Ian teasingly licked around the head of his cock. His legs tried to wrap around the agent but Ian's position was awkward and when one of Charlie's knees almost hit him in the head, he pinned his legs to the bed with his forearms and held Charlie's hips down with his hands. Then he swallowed Charlie's cock in one go, making the younger man bite his lip to stifle a scream. Charlie didn't know whether he should cry or urge Ian on. He could barely move with Ian's upper body pinning him down like that and was forced to take whatever Ian deemed he should get. Ian hollowed his cheeks and Charlie arched his back. "Ian ..."

One of his hands released the sheets and awkwardly petted Ian's bobbing head to get his attention. "Ian … I can't … I'm gonna ..." And then he came with a moan. Ian swallowed, holding him down until Charlie's breathing was slowing and his body became limp and pliable. Then Ian let go of Charlie's cock and kissed his pubic bone. He slid up Charlie's body to brush his sweaty hair off his forehead. Charlie's eyes were closed and Ian kissed his damp forehead and his cheek before coaxing his lips open with his tongue to kiss him deeply. His own still hard cock was nestled between their bodies. Charlie returned the kiss lazily and tasted himself on Ian's tongue. He frowned and then smiled a bit. "Strange," he muttered.

Ian laughed softly. He reached out a hand to open the drawer of the nightstand and pushed the bible aside to get to the lube and the condoms he'd stashed there after his arrival. He was always prepared. The thought made him grin. "Good?" he asked, looking down into Charlie's eyes.

"Oh, yes!" the younger man answered enthusiastically. "Awesome."

"Awesome?" Ian echoed with a smile. "I don't think I have ever been called that before."

"Good," Charlie said. "Then I'm the first."

Ian opened the tube of lube and coated his fingers while they talking, then he slid his hand between their bodies. "Let me show you the really awesome bit about gay sex."

Charlie raised his eyebrows. "Okay."

Ian kissed him again and touched Charlie's crotch with the back of his hand to avoid startling him. Then slipped his finger between Charlie's ass cheeks and penetrated him. Charlie flinched and frowned but he continued to kiss Ian nonetheless, trusting him. Ian broke the kiss to look into Charlie's eyes when he added a second finger, wanting to be able to see his reaction. Charlie pulled a face. "That's …"

Ian nodded. "Strange?" he asked. Charlie bit his lip. Ian smiled. "Good? Or bad?" he wanted to know.

"I haven't made up my mind yet," Charlie answered. Ian added a third finger and Charlie's eyes widened. "Hurts a bit."

"That's okay," Ian answered. He frowned in concentration and twisted his fingers a bit, searching.

"Okay, it's not bad," Charlie said, "but I'm not sure if it could be called awe ..." The word ended on a choked groan and Charlie's hands scrabbled for Ian's shoulders. Ian felt the younger man's cock harden again.

He grinned. "There it is." He touched Charlie's prostate a second time and the younger man gasped, his nails digging into Ian's shoulders. "Good?" Ian asked.

"Awesome," Charlie panted and arched his back. "Oh God!" Ian withdrew his fingers and Charlie glared at him. "Keep going."

"Well, as much as I like being a gentleman," Ian said, "I'm painfully hard, too. And I didn't even come yet." He smoothed a condom over his cock.

Charlie pulled him into a sloppy kiss. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Ian soothed. "I was joking." He settled one of Charlie's legs on his shoulder. "I'm not gonna lie to you," he said. "This is going to hurt a bit."

Charlie nodded and reminded himself of his decision to do this no matter what.

Ian guided his cock to Charlie's entrance and pushed the tip through the tight ring of muscles. Charlie cried out softly and screwed his eyes shut. Ian leaned over him and brushed his damp hair back from his forehead. "It's okay," he said soothingly. Charlie's leg slid from his shoulder to wrap around Ian's chest. Ian nudged his cock inside a bit further and soothed the pained frown on Charlie's forehead with the fingertips of his right hand. The left was gripping Charlie's hip, keeping him from moving away. He slid in a bit further.

Charlie opened his eyes. "It … hurts," he said.

"I know." Ian pulled Charlie into a kiss and slid the rest of the way in, swallowing a pained sound. "Sorry," he whispered. "How does it feel now?"

"Uh … like I have a cock up my ass," Charlie tried a joke. Ian laughed. Charlie stroked his cheek. "Feels strange but not all that bad."

"Let's see what I can do about that," Ian said and pulled out a bit before sliding in again, hitting Charlie's prostate.

"Oh," Charlie panted. Ian tangled his hand in Charlie's hair and wrapped the other one around his cock. Then he kissed him and thrust again. Charlie jerked and grabbed Ian's shoulders.

"Good?" Ian asked.

"Awesome."

Ian could see that Charlie was still feeling pain but it was outweighed by arousal. He jerked Charlie off in time to his thrusts, taking care to kiss him breathless. Charlie was constantly moaning softly by the time Ian had built a steady rhythm and was picking up the pace. Charlie pulled him down for another kiss and started to move his hips in time to Ian's thrusts. Ian knew that he would be a quick learner. He panted and allowed himself to let go a bit, thrusting harder and faster.

"Ian," Charlie whispered and then he arched his back and came, his orgasm tipping Ian over the edge as well.

They lay there panting, before Ian pulled out gently and disposed of the condom. He fell onto the bed next to Charlie and turned his head to look at him. "Awesome?" he asked.

Charlie grinned. "Really cool," he answered.

Ian raised his eyebrows. "Cool?" Charlie laughed and Ian felt compelled to kiss him. "You're mad, professor. That's what you are. Mad and … way too young for me."

"You're not that old."

Ian laughed. Charlie turned on his side and hesitantly wrapped an arm around Ian's chest, tucking his head under the agent's chin. Ian stroked his back with one hand, the other entwining with Charlie's fingers on his chest. Ian could feel that Charlie wanted to speak but held back.

"What is it?" he wanted to know.

"Just …" Charlie sighed. "Did you go out on a date with me for this?" He raised his head and looked at Ian. "Not that I'm complaining but ..." He shrugged.

Ian shook his head. "It wasn't just about sex."

Charlie smiled. "Good. So … we'll see each other the next time you're around?"

"I think I found a reason to come around a lot more often," Ian answered. He brushed some sweat-damp locks from Charlie's forehead. "Let's just improvise … see what happens."

Charlie tilted his head to the side. "Dinner, movies, that kind of thing?"

"Yeah," Ian nodded.

"And sex?"

Ian laughed. "Lots of sex."

Charlie laid his head down again and sighed deeply. "Awesome."

END

08/10


	5. Chapter 5

**Muffin Voodoo**

_Series: _Seven ways Charlie and Ian got together … and one they didn't 5/8

_Word Count: _522

_Summary: _"And here I was thinking that you would never make the first move."

_Characters: _Charles Eppes, Ian Edgerton

_Pairing: _Charlie/Ian Edgerton

_Rating: _PG-13_  
Setting:_ after _Pandora's Box  
Author's Note: _Written for the _September Rewatch Challenge: Pandora's Box_ on sniper_voodoo. This one's a quickie. RL was a b*** and I had to finish my _Torchwood Big Bang_ story.

_Feedback:_ Can't breathe without it.

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Numb3rs_ and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

XXX

XXX

Charlie switched on the light in the garage when he entered. He turned around to face his guest, spread his arms and said, "That's it."

Ian took a bite from his muffin and entered. He looked around curiously.

"Well. This is your voodoo cave."

Charlie rolled his eyes.

"Not voodoo. Math."

Ian shoved a hand into his jeans pocket and took a closer look at one of the blackboards.

"Voodoo," he repeated with conviction, smiling at Charlie. The younger man answered with a nervous grin and watched Ian leaning against his desk. He was confused. Since Don had invited Ian over to join Millie, Amita and Larry at the Eppes' house for dinner, the sniper was overly focused on Charlie. Larry and Amita had left half an hour ago, Alan was watching an old movie with Millie and Don and Ian had asked Charlie to show him around the garage. The agent grinned and Charlie wondered if he'd ever seen Ian do that before. Most of the time, he was just smirking.

"So, Professor," Ian said, "what are we up to now?"

Charlie swallowed. Was Ian flirting with him? Really?

Charlie wouldn't object, in fact he would be delighted, but he was a bit insecure.

"We could go and join the others," he said.

"We could," Ian answered before taking another bite from his muffin.

Charlie swallowed. He stepped closer to Ian.

"Any other ideas?" he asked.

Ian shrugged, raising his eyebrows.

"Your decision."

Charlie was pretty sure that they were no longer talking about joining the others. He was now standing just in front of Ian. The agent held up his muffin.

"As long as you're not getting between me and my fiber again."

"That was a practical demonstration."

"Using my dessert?"

Charlie grinned.

"I'm doing that all the time. Ask Megan." He took Ian's muffin and put it on the desk.

"Now what?" the agent asked. Charlie took a deep breath and curled his hand around Ian's back of the neck before pulling him down for a kiss. Ian's hands slipped around Charlie's hip, pulling him closer. He broke the kiss and pressed their foreheads together.

"And here I was thinking that you would never make the first move."

"You could have given me a sign, you know," Charlie answered.

"I was practically jumping up and down. I think even Colby saw what was going on."

Charlie kissed him into silence, his hands looking for a hold against the desk to press closer to Ian's body. The muffin tumbled over the edge and to the floor.

"Oh!" he smiled against Ian's lips.

The agent followed his eyes downwards and groaned in frustration.

"This is getting old very fast."

"I didn't do it on purpose this time."

Ian turned them around to press Charlie against the desk, crowding him until Charlie was forced to hop onto the table and Ian could stand between his spread legs.

"You're going to kiss that better," Ian ordered.

Charlie laughed.

"Yes, sir."

END

09/10


	6. Chapter 6

**Perfection**

_Word Count: _587

_Summary: _It was reaching perfection. _They_ were reaching perfection.

_Characters: _Charlie Eppes, Ian Edgerton

_Pairing__: _Charlie/Ian Edgerton

_Rating:_ PG_  
Spoiler: When worlds collide  
Setting:_ after _High Exposure  
Author's Note: _Written for the _Rewatch Challenge_ on sniper_voodoo. Prompt: _High Exposure__._

_Feedback:_ Can't breathe without it.

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Numb3rs_ and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

XXX

XXX

Charlie stared at the koi and pushed his hands deep into his jeans pockets. The fish didn't seem to mind him watching them and he felt better out here by himself than inside where everyone was waiting for him to decide what to do about his security clearance. They wanted him to fight for it but Charlie wasn't so sure if he wanted to. He liked working for the FBI but he didn't want to force Don and his team to endure the interrogation that, according to Robin, would get him his clearance back. And he was scared of the FBI deciding that they couldn't trust him any more. Charlie couldn't handle being rejected. Not where his work was concerned.

"Penny for your thoughts," a man said.

Charlie turned his head, startled, and looked at the agent standing next to him. He hadn't even heard him approach.

"Ian," he said. "You startled me."

"Sorry," the sniper answered but he didn't sound like he meant it.

"I thought you had already left."

"No. I'm not tired." Ian looked around as if he was seeing the house for the first time. "So I took a walk in your garden."

"Found something of interest?" Charlie asked, his eyes gliding over the lawn, the trees, towards the garage and the house to settle on the roses his mother had loved so much.

"Not really," Ian answered. "But it's beautiful."

Charlie smiled.

"My mother was the one who wanted a house with a big garden."

"And a koi pond?"

Charlie laughed.

"That was my dad's idea. My mom was actually shocked when she heard what he'd paid for the fish."

Ian laughed, too. Then they were quiet for a moment, watching the fish. Ian's hand was warm on Charlie's shoulder.

"Well? I still wanna know what you were thinking about."

Charlie sighed deeply.

"My security clearance. Robin told me that she could help me get it back."

Ian nodded.

"You should. We wouldn't have been able to solve this case as fast as we did without your help."

"I'm not sure if I want it back," Charlie answered.

"Why?" Ian asked, surprised. He was frowning.

Charlie shrugged.

"It's not just about me. If I want to get my clearance back, Don and the team will have to answer some rather awkward questions and I don't want them to feel like they have to do it, just because I'm … well, me."

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"But I do," Charlie answered stubbornly. "I do mind."

Ian narrowed his eyes.

"What's this about? You not wanting to push the team into doing something or you being scared that you won't get your clearance back?"

Charlie rubbed his forehead. Ian smiled.

"Got it in one, huh?" he asked. "Okay. I can understand that. But Don wants you back. The team wants you back. It's obvious, Charlie. They'd do anything to get you back." Ian put an arm around his shoulders. "And I'd feel better if you'd work for us."

There had always been something between them. Some kind of link or deep hidden friendship. Their connection had always been different but not uncomfortable. That's why Charlie didn't feel surprised or shocked or insecure when Ian kissed him. What they did right now was only the next step in their relationship.

It was reaching perfection.

_They_ were reaching perfection.

END

10/10


	7. Chapter 8

**Puzzle undone**

_Series: _Eight ways Charlie and Ian got together … and one they didn't 7/9

_Word Count: _1.760

_Summary: _And here, in the middle of the night, under the starry sky of Los Angeles and in the backyard of his beautiful house with his perfect girlfriend waiting in their bed, Charlie broke.

_Characters: _Ian Edgerton, Charlie Eppes

_Pairing: _Charlie/Ian Edgerton, Charlie/Amita (hinted)

_Rating: _PG

_Spoiler: Angel and Devils_

_Setting: _after _Angel and Devils_

_Warnings: _Open ending. There's no real partner betrayal going on, but be aware of an unhappy ending for one of the couples, even though it's only hinted at. _  
Author's Note: _I'm fond of open endings. I love 'em. This story has one, too. There won't be a sequel. But I'm planning a longer Ian/Charlie fic that will have all the works from the start of the relationship 'til the coming out and the reactions. Gimme some time and you'll get it sometime next summer. I find it very difficult to write a non-canon slash pairing with a canon het pairing thrown in. That's why, normally, I avoid the het pairing. I did in this story until now. But the episode didn't leave me another choice and I thought I should try it out. This is for the _Rewatch Challenge_ on sniper_voodoo, like every other story in this verse. The episode was _Angel and Demons_. The titles from Christina Aguilera's _Beautiful._

_Feedback:_ Can't breathe without it.

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Numb3rs _and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

XXX

XXX

After everything had calmed down, after Ian and Don had wrapped up the case and after Charlie had accompanied Amita to the nearest hospital, Ian somehow ended up at the Craftsman. He shared some beers with Don and joked with Alan about how insufferable his two sons could be, while Charlie and Amita arrived home and Charlie put her to bed to rest. Just after nine, Ian decided that he should head back to his hotel.

He left the bathroom on the upper floor, on his way down to say goodbye, and almost bumped into Charlie coming from what Ian assumed was his and Amita's room. "Professor," he whispered, not wanting to disturb the sleeping woman.

Charlie closed the door and smiled at him. "Ian. I was thinking about grabbing a beer. Wanna join me?"

"Actually, I was just on my way out."

Charlie's smile waned and he seemed disappointed, but Ian told himself that he was imagining it. Years ago, he'd admitted to himself that he had a crush a mile wide on Charlie, but there was no way Charlie could possibly return those feelings. He was with Amita and, and as far as Ian could tell, they were very happy. And he was happy for Charlie. There were many fish in the sea, as Ian's mom used to say.

Charlie looked back at the closed bedroom door, then he smiled tiredly at Ian. "Oh, well, okay then. I'll walk you to your car."

"Is she alright?" Ian asked as they descended the stairs.

"Exhausted and upset … but she'll be okay," Charlie answered.

Ian shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. "She's a strong woman – very smart, very brave."

"That she is."

"You're a lucky guy."

Charlie grinned and Ian imagined that it looked forced. "I guess so."

They'd reached the door and, giving in to his subconscious that was screaming at him to spend more time with the other man, he held Charlie back from opening it. "You know what … another beer sounds just fine."

XXX

The night air was cool, but not overly so, and the deck chairs quite comfortable.

"Thank you," Charlie said suddenly, breaking the silence. Ian looked at him. Charlie's face was half-hidden by the encroaching shadows from the garden. The light from inside the house was illuminating the other half of his face. He looked beautiful, but a bit sad.

Ian raised his eyebrows. "What for?"

"Saving her." He gulped down the last of his second beer, and Ian had the suspicion that he was a bit drunk. He hadn't eaten, preferring to stay with Amita who hadn't been hungry, and he'd been dead on his feet hours before they'd saved her. Add to that the emotional turmoil and the fact that Charlie was a light-weight – Don was very fond of stories involving Charlie and alcohol -, and it didn't surprise him.

Ian sipped his beer. He hadn't really drunken that much of it. He'd reached his limit with Don, and he still had to keep in mind that he had to drive to the hotel later. He would have left ten minutes ago, when Charlie had finished his first beer, but courtesy had forced him to stay. Courtesy and the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right with Charlie. He was too calm and collected. Something was just waiting to break forth. And since Alan had Don had gone to bed, Ian felt responsible not to leave Charlie alone.

He said, "It's my job."

"Yeah … sure." He looked at Ian. "Thanks, though."

"You're welcome. But it was no hardship really. You guys helped me out on some cases and I just wanted to return the favor." He grinned. "Besides … she's your girlfriend, Charlie. Girls like her are rare."

"Oh, yes!" Charlie laughed. "Rare. Who else would …," he breathed in and closed his eyes before continuing, "... put up with me?"

"You alright there?" Ian asked.

Charlie looked at him and in the dim light, his eyes looked black, vulnerable and huge. "Yep … peachy." He giggled helplessly.

Ian got up. "I think it's time you joined Amita." He helped Charlie up and winced when the beer bottle escaped Charlie's fingers and shattered on the edge of the deck chair.

Charlie looked down. "Just perfect," he sighed.

"Don't worry about it. I'll clean it up before I leave." Ian slung one of his arms around Charlie's waist and steered him towards the house. "C'mon. Up we go. Your girlfriend's waiting."

"Stop calling her that," Charlie said and pushed Ian away.

Ian stared at him, taken by surprise. "Come again?"

Charlie looked just as shocked as Ian felt. He leaned against the wall. "Oh, God," he muttered and brushed a trembling hand through his hair.

"Charlie?" Ian asked, getting more worried by the minute. Charlie looked like he was going to be sick. Ian put a hand on his shoulder.

Charlie shook his head. "No, my mistake. I'm … drunk."

"Charlie?"

"A stupid thing to say," Charlie whispered. "She's my girlfriend."

Ian frowned. "Yeah," he said. "Are you two having problems? You always seem like such a perfect couple."

"Made for each other," Charlie said, staring into the darkness. "The perfect couple. I'm always ..." He looked up at Ian and there were tears in his eyes. "I'm always perfect, right?" He shook his head. "I have to be."

Ian couldn't shake the feeling that Charlie was having some kind of nervous breakdown. "Look, I'll get Don-"

"No!" Charlie said, grabbing his arm. "Don't get him. I'm alright."

"You're not."

"I'm not weak."

"Asking for help doesn't imply weakness."

"I can't be a disappointment." He groaned. "You aren't supposed to be here." He pulled Ian closer. "Don't tell anyone, yeah? You shouldn't have heard this."

And here, in the middle of the night, under the starry sky of Los Angeles and in the backyard of his beautiful house with his perfect girlfriend waiting in their bed, Charlie broke. He slumped to the floor, his hands over his face and his knees pulled to his chest, and Ian crouched down next to him. "Charlie, what's the matter?" He really, really wanted to know. Even though his thoughts about Charlie weren't brotherly at all – really, who could resist? - Ian had tried to be something like an older brother to him. The kind of older brother that was always on the road and rarely at home, but someone to confide in nonetheless.

Charlie leaned his head against the wall and turned it to look at Ian. "It's complicated."

"With you? That's a surprise," Ian teased gently and couldn't stop himself from brushing an affectionate hand through Charlie's hair.

"I'm such a mess," Charlie sobbed.

"You had a rough few days. Your … Amita was kidnapped and you've been running yourself ragged to find her. You're exhausted."

"What if she had died?" Charlie asked. "Oh, God! She would've never known ..." He closed his eyes and his head fell back against the wall.

"She didn't die."

Charlie nodded. "Yeah … you'd think that I'd change something now, right?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

Charlie looked at him. "I don't wanna be with her."

Ian was shocked. "What? But you're so ..."

"Perfect?" Charlie asked and giggled sadly. "Yeah, that's us. So perfect." He wiped his eyes. "I was always unsure about her, you know. Trying to get her, then withdrawing when I had the chance … but I kept holding on to her because my dad thought that she was so perfect for me."

"I don't see where the problem is," Ian answered, wanting to help but not knowing what was wrong in the first place.

"You," Charlie answered.

"Me?"

Charlie nodded and just looked at him. Then he leaned forward and kissed Ian's lips – just a brush of lips, really, but Ian felt as if he couldn't breathe anymore. "Charlie," he whispered. "What …?"

"It kept getting worse with ever case we solved together."

So he hadn't imagined the looks in his direction, the blushing and awkward moments of silence whenever they'd been alone.

He asked, "Nobody knows?"

"I wanted to tell someone but …" Charlie ducked his head. "... I was busy with college and mom got cancer, and Don was angry at me … and it always wasn't the right time to tell them and then they kinda fell in love with the idea of Amita and me and … I couldn't … we were just back on track with Don getting closer to me again. I didn't want to mess it up."

"Jesus!" Ian said. "Charlie-"

"I know. Now, I _really_ messed up."

"You knew all this time."

Charlie shrugged. "Yeah, kinda … I suspected." He smiled helplessly. "You just made it that much more … unavoidable."

"Nobody knows?"

"I think Larry does. Some of the things he said about Amita and me ..." Charlie shrugged.

Ian sat down next to him. "You have to come out."

"I can't."

"Can you look at Amita and tell her that, 'yes 'til death do us part'? That's not fair to her or to you or to anyone else." He lowered his voice. "It's not fair to me."

Charlie raised his head to look at him, and Ian kissed him gently. Charlie's eyes widened. "So you're ..."

"Bisexual," Ian nodded, "and very much into you, Professor."

Charlie blushed and ducked his head. "What am I going to do?"

"I think you know," Ian answered gently.

Charlie sighed deeply and nodded reluctantly. "It's going to be hard." Ian nodded. Charlie put his head in his hands. "Amita will hate me. I can't blame her."

"I don't think that she'll hate you. But she's gonna be hurt. She'll get over it eventually." He smiled and took Charlie's hand in his. "And I'm gonna be with you every step of the way."

Charlie looked at him – a little sad. "Okay."

END

12/10


	8. Chapter 7

**Somebody to come home to**

_Word Count: _703

_Summary: _Ian shrugged again as if that didn't matter – as if his own death was just a consequence and not the end of his life.

_Characters: _Ian Edgerton, Charlie Eppes

_Pairing__: _Charlie/Ian Edgerton

_Rating:_ PG_  
Spoiler: Ultimatum  
Setting:_ after _Ultimatum  
Feedback:_ Can't breathe without it.

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Numb3rs_ and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

XXX

XXX

Ian was waiting in front of the Eppes' Craftsman when Charlie arrived. He was leaning against his dark SUV, his sunglasses nestled in his hair, his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and Charlie noticed on some subconscious level that he looked hotter than ever before. That didn't mean that he was quite ready to forgive him yet. If Ian wanted something from him, he would have to wait for a few more days.

Charlie tightened his grip on the handlebars of his bike and passed by him without a word.

"What? Don't I get a Hello?" Ian asked.

Charlie shook his head.

"You don't get a Hello," he said and leaned his bike against the garage. While he was unlocking the front door, he heard Ian's heavy boots closing in on him, his steps sounding hollow against the patio. The house was silent and Charlie cursed softly. He was alone with the agent. His father was at his book club.

Ian pushed against the door when Charlie tried to close it and slipped through into the living room. Charlie put his back down and crossed his arms, then he turned around to face Ian.

"What do you want?" he asked, irritated.

Ian closed the door.

"I wanna apologize."

"I'm not interested. Now, please leave," Charlie answered and turned away.

Ian's hand closed around his arm.

"Professor-"

"Agent." He shrugged him off and let go of the anger he'd kept so carefully hidden until now. "You blackmailed me. You kidnapped Colby and blackmailed me!"

Ian nodded.

"You were the only one who could help me. I knew that."

"You could have asked nicely."

"Would you have helped me?"

"Of course," Charlie answered. "Of course I would have helped you! What were you thinking? What did you want to achieve with that stunt?"

Ian stared at him, then he ducked his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. He shrugged.

"It's not important."

Charlie stared at him in disbelief.

"It's important to me." He crossed his arms. "You could have died. Are you aware of that? If those guys had been a bit more trigger-happy, if they wouldn't have listened to Don ..."

Ian shrugged again as if that didn't matter – as if his own death was just a consequence and not the end of his life. Charlie frowned.

"That's it?" he asked, imitating the shrug.

"Doesn't matter, Professor." Ian turned away and headed for the door. This time Charlie was the one holding him back. Ian wasn't looking at him.

"Doesn't that matter to you at all?" Charlie asked softly.

Ian turned his head in his direction and smiled bitterly.

"I'm living on borrowed time, Charlie. That's my job."

Charlie stepped closer and let go of him.

"And that doesn't matter to you?"

Ian ducked his head and shrugged again.

"There's no one to come home to, Professor."

"So what?" Charlie asked. "That's a reason to try and kill yourself?"

"No," Ian answered, "but if it should happen, it's not going to be a big loss."

"Of course it is," Charlie answered in disbelief. His hand grabbed Ian's and squeezed tightly. "It is."

Ian smiled at him.

"C'mon, Professor … would you miss me?"

Charlie tilted his head and answered, "Of course." His grip tightened and Charlie pulled Ian near, until they were standing closer than was appropriate. "Of course," Charlie repeated.

Ian stared at him questioningly, then he cupped Charlie's cheek. He kissed him tenderly and smiled, when Charlie answered by putting his hands on Ian's waist. Ian brushed a lock of hair out of Charlie's forehead.

"Well, you should feel honoured," he said softly.

"Why?" Charlie asked just as softly.

Ian grinned.

"Not every man would kidnap and agent to get your attention."

"You didn't have to," Charlie said.

Ian laughed.

"I know ..." He shook his head, leaned down to Charlie and whispered, "But it was worth it. You have no idea how hot you are when you get angry."

END

11/10


	9. Chapter 9

… **One way they didn't**

_Series: _Eight ways Charlie and Ian got together … and one they didn't 9/9

_Word Count: _228

_Summary: _It never happened. It was as easy as that.

_Characters: _Ian Edgerton

_Pairing: _Charlie/Ian Edgerton (unrequited), Charlie/Amita (hinted)

_Rating:_ PG-13_  
Spoiler: _Cause and effect / Also refers to the other stories in this verse_  
Setting:_ after _Cause and effect  
__Feedback:_ Can't breathe without it.

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Numb3rs _and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

XXX

XXX

It never happened. It was as easy as that. Ian didn't know why and he didn't really care. Thinking about it hurt a bit, right there, where his stomach was, though.

He spent years watching Charlie. He saw him maturing, saw him getting a house and a girlfriend. He read his book and did the math and not even the numbers were in his favor. Maybe he should have acted sooner.

Maybe he should have taken Charlie to the shooting range. Or maybe he'd missed his chance in the woods when they'd spent the night after McHugh had been caught. He should have asked Charlie out for dinner. Maybe some time alone in Charlie's garage would have done the trick or a conversation at the koi pond. Maybe Charlie was insecure and his relationship to Amita nothing but an act to be what everyone expected him to be. Or it was Ian's fault alone. He should have just gone and apologized after he'd kidnapped Colby. Maybe that would have been his chance.

He would never know.

The only thing he did was make a weak joke in Don's direction about why he hadn't been invited to Charlie's wedding. And if he got drunk that very evening and hooked up with a young man with curly dark hair and big brown eyes, that didn't mean anything. Nothing at all.

END

12/10


End file.
